This blog discusses health and life issues important to women. Content includes info about adventure travel, nutrition, aging, menopause and much more

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Libido and hormones

If one day you find yourself having hot flashes and night sweats,
irritable and depressed for no reason whatsoever, disinterested in sex,
experiencing chronic fatigue and joint pains, having panic attacks, and
other new symptoms, which you did not have before, consult your
gynecologist or endocrinologist right away. You could be entering that
phase in your life called menopause and your hormones are no longer
kicking in like they used to.

“What happened to the sex goddess I used to know? I don’t know her
anymore as she has turned into an ice maiden!” one exasperated husband
told his wife. That wife happens to be one of my BFFs, and as expected,
I received a blow-by-blow account on her dwindling libido, and her
other symptoms that are driving her mate up the wall. I recalled my
conversation with Suzanne Sommers about this painful passage of life and
what she did about it. (Yes, Suzanne Sommers, the famous TV
star-turned-writer on health and beauty.) I happened to be seated
between her and her husband during a three-hour dinner party in
Shanghai and most of the conversation revolved around how she restored
her sexiness through natural hormones. She explained that hormones have a
massive impact on a woman’s body and daily life. As a result, low
hormone levels, which occur during major life changes, such as menopause
and puberty, can unleash a host of unwanted symptoms. This is why it
is essential that women are informed by their doctor of the different
hormones circulating around their bodies and how a change of hormone
levels can affect them in a major way.

“I was so miserable as I had a host of unfavorable symptoms and my
system was out of whack. I was only in my mid 40s, quite young to
menopause, but it happened. I was itchy, bitchy, sweaty, depressed,
fatigued, I had zero libido, and feeling so unsexy. I was so wanting to
feel normal again so I did a lot of research work. I did not want to
take synthetic hormones. I knew there are natural ways to heal the
body.”

In her book, The Sexy Years, Sommers describes how she
restored herself in a holistic way meaning, body, mind and spirit by
taking bio-identical hormones, doing a lot of exercise, and eating
healthy.
How do we know what hormones to take and what are bio identical hormones?

In Manila, one can go to Dr. Marissa Torre, who trained in Germany
and the US specializing in Preventive Medicine and Anti-aging Therapy.
I go to Dr. Marissa when I feel my immune system needs a boost. She
gives me an infusion of vitamins C and B complex and a treasure trove of
other vitamins and I feel revitalized. There are ladies who go to her
for hormones, but before she prescribes them, Dr. Torre takes a hormone
panel test through their saliva to determine what they lack. She sends
the samples to laboratories in Australia or the USA for analysis. Her
approach is very individualized. A precise dosage of natural estrogen,
testosterone, progesterone or DHEA is created to meet their needs. This
is what is known as bio-identical hormones. She explains that
bio-identical hormones are manufactured to match the molecular
structures of hormones made by your own body, and act in the body just
like the hormones we produce. So it is also called natural hormones.
They are compounded from plant extracts like yams, flaxseed, and soy.
Bio-identical hormones are supposed to be better than synthetic hormones
because they are natural and our bodies can metabolize them well,
minimizing side effects. Synthetic hormones are quite strong and
sometimes produce intolerable side effects. Furthermore, the compounded
bio-identical hormones can be matched individually to a person’s needs
which is not possible with mass-produced products.
When hormone levels are optimized, people typically have more
physical energy and strength, greater mental clarity, improved clarity
of sleep, increased libido, a more positive attitude, and look and feel
younger...read more